Copper oxide (CuO) thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates heated to 300°C. The effect of films thickness on the electrical characteristics (resistivity, free carrier concentration and Hall mobility of carriers) and morphological properties of CuO have been investigated. The obtained results indicate that the thickness increasing (longer periods of deposition time) have permitted the improvement of electrical characteristics of our films (decrease of the resistivity, increase of the free carriers concentration and the carriers Hall mobility). Scanning electron microscopy images of the samples prove that the films morphology change according to the film thickness and also show more homogeneity of CuO thin film grown at higher thicknesses.

Stannous sulphide (SnS) thin films have been synthesised using two different solutions. The solutions were prepared by the dilution of SnCl₂ and thiourea in distilled water and methanol separately. The effects of solvents and deposition time on the properties of the prepared thin films are investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the variation of the solvent and the deposition durations alters the structure of the prepared films. The films analysis by scanning electron microscope showed that the SnS films prepared with methanol are more dense and smooth than the SnS films prepared with distilled water. The resistivity depends on the used solvent and their growth duration. The elemental composition of the films deposited during 30 min with methanol indicate that SnS is quasi-stoichiometric, while those prepared with distilled water are slightly Sn rich. We have also found that the films deposited with distilled water are n-type, whereas those prepared with methanol are p-type.

The aim of this work is the production and the characterisation of (SnO₂: (Mn, F)) thin films with appropriate optoelectronic properties required for application as ohmic contacts in photovoltaic application devices. Transparent conducting Manganese-fluorine co-doped tin oxide (SnO₂: (Mn, F)) thin films have been deposited onto preheated glass substrates using the chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) method. The ([Mn²⁺]/[Sn⁴⁺]) atomic concentration ratio (y) in the spray solution is varied between 0 and 8 at. %. The structural, the opto-electrical and the photoluminescence properties of these thin films have been studied. It is found that the deposited thin films are polycrystalline with a tetragonal crystal structure corresponding to SnO₂ phase having a preferred orientation along the (200) plane. Transmission and reflection spectra reveal the presence of interference fringes indicating the thickness uniformity and the surface homogeneity of the deposited samples. Photoluminescence behaviour of Mn-F co-doped SnO₂ thin films was also studied. Photoluminescence spectra reveal the presence of the defects like oxygen vacancies in the materials. In addition, The electrical resistivity, volume carrier concentration, surface carrier concentration and electrical mobility were determined from Hall Effect measurements and the following results were obtained: n-type conductivity in all the deposited thin films, a low resistivity of 1.50×10^-4 Ω cm, and a high electrical mobility of 45.40 cm² V^-1 s^-1 with Mn co-doping concentration equals to 7 at. %. These experimental results show that the electrical properties of these thin films where greatly improved making them suitable as ohmic contacts in photovoltaic applications devices.

In this chapter, we study an interfacial phenomenon between liquid metals and ceramic substrates. Therefore, investigation of these phenomena is of great importance not only in technological applications but also in fundamental understanding of physical behavior of the adhesion between two different materials as far as their electrical structures and physiochemical properties are concerned. Moreover, adhesion energy is interpreted thermodynamically by the interfacial interactions and the nature of bonding between liquid metal and ceramic material. The adhesion energy in metal/ceramic systems is determined by using an electro-acoustical model based on the propagation of the acoustic wave in the interface and strongly depends on the electric properties of combination.

The increasing development of technologies based on the thin films, imposed a high quality of these films. The crucial importance for all applications of thin films is related to the stability of their physical and morphological properties. Therefore, to optimize the performances of the thin films it is recommended to study carefully all their parameters in order to enhance the elaborated films. With this intention, various characterizations methods were developed and carried out to study the different qualities of thin films. In this chapter, we take an interest to the study of the characteristics of some binary semiconductors thin films elaborated by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, and which are destined for solar cells applications. Several used characterizations techniques to the determination of the thin films properties will be given; namely: X-rays diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy), Hall effect and spectrophotometry will be discussed in detail.